Knitted fabric and method



April 18, 1944. w. L. SMITH; JR

I KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 5, 1939 April 18 1944. w, SMITH, JR

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April 18, 1944. w, 1.; SMITH. JR

KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD Filed Feb. 5, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fla. {9.

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?aiented Apr. 18, 1944 ETED ST res PATNT- Fsic 'r'ran rsnmc AND Mn'rnon Application February 3, 1939, Serial No. 254,431

7 Claims.

This case has to do with knitted fabrics in a which an elmic yarn or yarn are incorporated to vary the appearance and for the purpose of imparting to the fabric a certain amount of elasticity.

In the figures of drawings:

Fig. l is a conventional illustration of fabric, greatly enlarged, wherein a plain yarn and an elastic yarn have been knitted to simulate 1 x 1 rib work;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but wherein a variation has been resorted to and where less elastic and more non-elastic yarn has been employed;

Fig. 3 shows still another form of the fabric whereina different disposal of plain and elastic yarn appears;

Fig. 4 is a view showing a section of fabric, part being knitted to represent rib, another part plain and still another part being knitted to appear as openwcrk;

Fig. 5 is a similar view but wherein a different spacing of the elastic yarn has been resorted to;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing a pattern comprising plain zones and rib zones;

Fig.1 shows a similar pattern wherein openwork is substituted at the plain zones;

Fig. 8 diagrammatically represents a fabric similar to Fig. 6 but wherein a difierent pattern has been mitted;

Fig. 9 is likewise in i: to Fig. '7, but has an openwork pattern knitted according to the same figure shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. lllshows a pattern similar to Figs. 8 and 9 but wherein rib, p and openwork have all been employed for the purpose.

The fabrics herein described and illustrated are to be knitted on machines having at least two feeds and preferably, on machines of the usual multi-ieed type having four feeds .or more.

It is a characteristic of these fabrics that the elastic is knitted more or les independently of the plain or non-elastic yarn or yarns and thus the fabric is not subject to running, and distortion is at a minimum. By the method shown it-is possible to knit fabrics which lie substantially fiat after being taken from the machine and which may be out leaving an edge not subject to ravelling, also an edge which will not curl or roll. This provide fabrics adapted to tailoring and thus makes it possible to incorporate elastic fabrics in those garments which must tern work resulting from control of the elastic yarn and stitch variation. It has been found that very satisfactory pattern effects are obtained if the elastic is so controlled as to make simulated rib work in predetermined areas of the fabric which will be set out in contrast to other areas knitted plain (not rib). The result of such work is that the fabric will be drawn up more in certain areas than in others and a raised or puckered efiect which is pleasing to the eye serves both as an ornamental feature and to impart a considerable amount of stretch both coursewise and lengthwise of the fabric. It is also possible by control of the elastic knitted on desired needles and tucking of the plain or .non-elastic yarns to knit eyelet or openwork so that the material will be porous to a degree but will still retain its elasticity in both directions and provide all these very desirable characteristics in a single fabric or garment. plain and simulated rib work may be arranged to form patterns: plain and open, simulated rib and open, plain and simulated rib, or all three forms may be knitted in a single fabric.

By changing the pattern at intervals on the machine, fabrics or garments may be knitted and shaped by variation of the pattern itself. This makes it possible to knit a garment or fabric for a garment which will be ornamental in appearance, completely elastic throughout, and yet which will be shaped and form fitting at the outset. For example, simulated rib work alone results in the tightest fabric so that by .varying the amount of that work in relation to plain or openwork, shaping of a knitted-article may thus be controlled entirely by the pattern. This makes it unnecessary to incorporate the elastic under an extreme amount of tension at certain sections and the other sections under so little tension that there is practically no elasticity at those areas of the finished article.

New referring to Fig. 1, one form of fabric is shown which may be knitted on a two feed machine or a machine having multiples of two feeds. At every other feed elastic isfed and at the intermediate feeds ar plain or non-elastic yarn or comprise several pieces of material out according yams will be fed. For example at the first feed the elastic yarn I knits course a, this elastic yarn being knitted on every other needle. Then at the next feed a plain yarn 2 is fed to be taken and knitted by intermediate needles, those which did not take the elastic yarn at the first feed.

This knits course b. This is repeated in the case of a two-feed machine, or in the event the machine has more than two feeds, a similar elastic yarn to the yarn l is fed at a third feed to knit the course and at the fourth feed a plain yarn similar to yarn 2 knits course d. This is re-' peated about the machine if it has more feeds, or is simply repeated upon those feeds Just described. The resulting fabric, as can be seen, is really a complete elastic fabric and a complete plain yarn fabric which are interlocked by floats 3 of the elastic and 4 of the non-elastic yarn. Destruction of either the elastic or non-elastic yarns at any particular point will not completely destroy the fabric since this is in effect a dual fabric. The elastic may be knitted under a slight tension and a very fair rib appearance will re" sult. Of course, the tension of theelastic may be varied along with other elements and simu lated rib work of various degrees of tightness and elasticity may be produced. The resulting fabric is quite free from tendency to curl or roll at the edges, may be cut along lines in any direction to the courses or wales without running and without losing its elastic characteristics.

Referring to Fig. 2, a second fabric is shown which is knitted by feedin an elastic yarn 5 in conjunction with a plain yam 6 to alternate needles at one feed to knit course e. Then a plain yarn I is fed at a second or subsequent feed to all needles for knitting the course ,f. Thereupon, if the machine is a two-feed machine, this sequence is repeated, however, if the machine has more feeds as 4, 6, 8, etc., a second elastic yarn and plain yarn will be fed at the third feed and then at the fourth feed, another plain yarn will be fed, that yarn feeding to all needles. At the third feed the elastic and plain yarn were fed only to alternate needles such as took similar ,yarns at the first feed. Thus in wales such as the wales 8, I0, l2 etc., there will be elastic and plain yarn loops knitted through single loops of another plain yarn. In the intermediate wales 9, ll, I3, etc., there will be only plain yarn loops and obviously half as many of them as there are combined plain yarn loops and plain and elastic yarn loops in the first mentioned wales 8, l0 and I2. This fabric can not be destroyed by the breaking of an elastic yarn, although the same will not be quite so extensible as fabrics in which the elastic is knitted alone.

Referring to Fig. 3, another form of fabric knitted similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1 has a course g knitted from elastic yarn l4, this yarn being fed to alternate needles and being knitted into individual stitches on those needles only. At a secondfeed a plain' or non-elastic yam I5 is fed so as to knit the course h from this nonelastic yarn, and the said course is knitted by feeding the yarn I5 to the intermediate needles (all those needles which did not take the elastic yarn l4). At a third feed a second elastic yarn I6 is fed to the same group of needles which knitted the yarn l4 and knits course 70 which then gives two elastic yam courses and intermediate them, a course of plain yarn stitches. At a fourth feed, a plain yarn I1 is fed to all needles.

, tervening course of plain yarn knitted on all This knits course m. This completes the cycle on a needles presentsstitches in the fabric which may be robbed to a certain extent and thereby. balance any tendency toward unevenness caused by contraction of the elastic yarn stitches. It is further evident thatthis fabric is at places, at least those places in which the elastic. is incorporated, a two ply or dual type of fabric. Thus the elastic may be removed at spots, or wholly removed, without disturbing the character of the fabric knitted from plain yarn.

Referring to Fig. 4 a fabric is shown in which a section is knitted to simulate a rib appearance and other sections are knitted to simulate plain fabric and openwork. Of course, the fabric described in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are all plain knit fabrics, but the appearance is that of 1 x 1 rib.

other face of the fabric. The simulated rib poption of the fabric in Fig. 4 represents a 2 x 1 rib in which Wales [8 and I9, or similar wales drawn of plain yarn will appear at the face of the fabric due to the fact that wales 20 and 2| drawn of elastic yarn tend to draw the fabric together, to take a position below the surface and to be partially hidden. In these sections the elastic yarn 22 is taken by needles in wales 20 and 2| (every third needle) and will be knitted at one feed. Next the yarn 23 which is a non-elastic yarn will be taken by the intermediate needles such as knit wales i8 and I8 and will knit independently of the elastic at a second feed. This is repeated for subsequent courses, either at the same or at different feeds.

At the wales 24 in the first course of elastic, and in subsequent wales 25, 26, 21, 28 and 28, the elastic is taken by all needles and is drawn into knitted stitches. At those same wales, the following course knitted from plain yarn is also knitted on all needles. While'all pairs of courses at the left of Fig. 4, that is, up to wale 24, are knitted in the same manner as the simulated rib work, only two pairs of courses are lmitted in which all the wales are knitted in one course of an elastic yarn and in the following course of a plain yarn whereupon in the course designated by numeral 30 the elastic is knitted in wales 24 and 25, also in 27 and 29, but skips wales 26 and 28. Then the plain yarn is knitted to form course 3| being taken and knitted at all needles at this section 24-23. Then this is repeated with an elastic yarn at a course 32 and another plain yarn at a course 33. The loops 34 and 35 will thus be drawn out and are elongated to such an extent that small openings in the fabric appear. This makes a sort of eyelet or openwork which is sufiiciently porous and is ornamental in appearance. While the courses 32 and 33 are drawn with the elastic being taken and knitted by spaced needles and the plain yarn by all needles the needles taking the elastic are staggered so that the elastic is knitted in wales 24, 28 and 28 in the second cycle of the openwork instead of on wales 25, 21 and 28 as in the first cycle. In the openwork the end wales such as 24 have elastic and plain yarn stitches alternating. This makes a clean edge at either side. While relatively few wales and courses have been shown in this figure, there are enough for purposes of illustrating the method of knitting and general characteristic of the fabric. Obviously these simulated rib, plain and openwork areas may be of any extent desired and of any configuration desired. This fabric is made on a two feed machine or a machine having a number of feeds which is a multiple of two.

Referring to Fig. 5, another form of fabric is illustrated which' is substantially along the lines of that shown in Fig. 4 except that the same is made on a machine having four feeds or a multiple of four. An elastic yam 36 is taken by every third needle and is knitted in wales 31 and 3|. In all of wales 39, All, 4|, 42, 43 and 44 this elastic yarn is drawn into knitted stitches. In the next course a plain yarn is knitted being drawn into stitches in wales 45, 46 and similar wales in the simulated rib section, and into all wales in the plain section which includes wales 15-. Then a plain yarn is knitted at the next feed or in the next course, being taken and knitted by needles knitting in wales 3.1 and 3B in the simulated rib section and in all other wales in the adjoining plain section. Thus this plain yarn knits through the stitches of the elastic yarn as drawn in the previous course,

also in wales 4'! and 48 which come between the simulated rib section and the plain section. The plain yarn knitted at the second course is designated by numeral 49 while this plain yarn knitted at the third course is designated by numeral 50.

A third plan yarn 5| is knitted on the same needles on which yarn 49 was knitted. This completes the cycle for a section of simulated rib work and an adjoining section ofplain work. Obviously, this may be continued throughout the fabric or throughout-so many cycles as desired.

A second elastic yarn 52 is knitted in wales 31, 38, as, 48 and in every other wale such as 42 these figures are misleading in one point which can not be changed so long as the fabric is shown in this conventional way. That is, the

and M. This marks the start of a section of 38, then floats across to wale 39 where it is knitted through the last drawn plain loop, this yarn being knitted through those plain loops in alternate wales only. It is knitted in wales 39, ll, 43, etc. Thereafter a third plain yarn 55 completes the cycle by knitting in all wales except wales 31 and 38. The cycle is started again with an elastic yarn being knitted just as the elastic yarn 52 was knitted. .In this form, in contrast to that shown in Fig. 4, it is not necessary to stagger the elastic stitches in the open work sections in order to elongate certain of the loops. The alternation comes about by staggering elastic and plain stitches drawn from the yarn 5%. While the fabric in Fig. 5 is knitted in four course cycles and that of Fig. 4 in two course cycles, these fabrics are knitted on a machine with the same needle selection. The only distinction is that in the fabric of Fig. 4, feeds are set up with elastic and plain yarns alternating, while in Fig. 5, the set-up is one elastic yam,

.three plain yarns, and at a fifth feed the cycle tightest fabric will be the rib fabric while the loosest will be the plain and openwork sections. Especially is this true when the fabric is considered in its longitudinal. direction. The result is that the plain and openwork sections pucker and stand out when the fabric is contracted. Of course, if the garment is of the nature to be stretched when it is worn, the fabric will flatten out due to the extension of the elastic and taking up of the loops or the material. When not stretched this puckering has an ornamental effect.

The fabric also displays the same characteristic tendencies to contract more in the simulated rib work than in the plain oropen work in a coursewise or lateral direction. By this it is possible to shape or fashion a fabric or article being knitted merely by disposal of these areas of simulated rib, plain and open stitches.

For example, a complete section of simulated rib work would be of the smallest'diameter as it comes from the machine. As much of the open or plainwork as is interposed between simulated rib areas determines the fabric diameter; no

viously, the width of these simulated ribs, plain and open areas may be anything desired. In these particular patterns the width of the areas is equal and of suflicient extent to appear alternately as simulated rib panels and plain or open panels, the latter tending to pucker as previously explained. The puckered areas add to the ornamental effect.

In Figs. 8 and 9 similar pattern schemes are carried out except that the simulated rib areas are in the form of squares at El and plain areas in similar squares at 62 so that a sort of checkerboard design is made. These areas 52 will likewise be puckered so that the general design is of small ribbed squares lying at a higher level than puckered squares. A similar scheme appears in Fig. 9 except that instead of the plain squares 62, openwork squares 63 are substituted.

In Fig. 10 this same checkerboard pattern is made up of simulated rib work 64, plain squares 65 and openwork squares 66. It is not essential to arrange these patterns in panels or in squares such as herein illustrated. Any desired figures may be produced within the range of the particular pattern mechanism of the machine employed, or if desired, horizontal zones of the fabric may be patterned with simulated rib, then with a zone of plain work or a zone of openwork. No further attempt will be made to go into detail about patterns since it is evident that the possibilities are too great to be covered in a patent disclosure and what is said here is merely to be taken as illustrative of 'certain specific examples. The invention is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a knitted fabric, courses knitted from an elastic yarn and other courses knitted from a non-elastic yarn, the elastic yarn courses being varied so as, in combination with the non-elastic yarn courses, to effect the knitting of simulated rib work at certain areas and at other areas,

appear as plain work as distinguished from a,

simulated rib fabric, said areas of simulated rib and non-rib areas being arranged according to some predetermined pattern.

2. A knitted fabric having elastic yarn courses and plain or non-elastic yarn courses, the elastic and plain yarn courses being so knitted and combined that the elastic yam draws together spaced wales to simulate a rib appearance at certain areas of the fabric, but at other areas, is knitted in all wales so that a non-rib appearance results, the non-rib fabric having a tendency to pucker, said areas of simulated rib and non-rib areas being arranged according to some predetermined pattern.

3. A knitted fabric having in combination courses drawn from an elastic yarn and other courses drawn from a plain or non-elastic yarn, the elastic yarn stitches being so disposed that in certain areas, spaced wales are drawn together to simulate a rib appearanc, and in other areas, elastic yarn loops are so disposed in staggered relationship and with respect to plain yarn loops that the said plain yam loops are extended or opened up to form eyelets or openwork, said simulated rib and open work are as being arranged according to some predetermined pattern.

4. A method of knitting ornamental fabric wherein elastic yarn and non-elastic yarn are incorporated, the said method including the knitting of elastic yarn in certain areas to produce simulated rib work and in other areas to effect the knitting of plain (non-simulated rib) fabric, and so disposed said simulated 'rib and plain areas as to form patterns thereof.

5. In a method of knitting ornamental fabric wherein elastic and non-elastic yarns are incorporated, the steps of controlling the knitting of the elastic yarn to effect simulated rib fabric at predetermined areas and in other areas, so controlling said elastic yam as to be drawn into loops on spaced needles and plain yarns to be drawn into loops on intervening needles in such a inanner as to knit eyelet or open fabric, and so disposing said simulated rib and open fabric areas as to form patterns thereof.

6. A method of knitting tubular fabric and at the same time imparting to the fabric different degrees of contraction thereby to fashion or shapethe same including the steps of knitting with elastic and non-elastic yarns throughout the fabric to effect knitting of areas of simulated rib and non-simulated rib and in so varying the areas of these respective types of fabric to control ultimate contraction and effective diameter of the same.

a 7. A method of knitting tubular fabric so as to impart to the fabric different degrees of contraction in predetermined areas thereby to distort the surface of the fabric and create raised pattern areas which includes'the steps of knitting elastic and non-elastic yarns throughout the fabric under tension and in such a manner that the elastic yarn is incorporated to be held at certain areas in closely adjacent wales and at other areas at widely spaced wales.

' WILLIAM .L. SMITH, Jn. 

